An Ember In The Dark
by AmberWaves42
Summary: Blake was... not your typical Beacon girl. Harboring a secret past takes a huge toll on the body, and sometimes you just need a shoulder to cry on. Luckily, her team can be that shoulder, and one member in particular can be a bit more. A story of Anxiety, Paranoia and Love.
1. Bonding Time Pt 1

**An Ember In The Dark - 1: Bonding Time Pt. 1**

Blake awoke slowly, the sound of birds and the sunlight streaming through her open window serving as her alarm clock. The feeling was pleasant, causing her to let out a content sigh while trying to sink deeper into the covers of her bed. Her head was empty, and she started to relax further, a feeling of warmth and comfort spreading throughout her body. That is, until she came to a realization:

 _This isn't my bed_

And with that thought, all the nice and good feelings she was having went away. Once again, anxiety and dread filled her body, as it does every morning. Paranoid thoughts filled her mind as her hand shot up to the bow that lay atop her head, making sure her biggest secret is still hidden. She let herself feel a small spark of relief, as all worries of being caught flee her mind.

She opened one amber eye to peek down at her scroll, noting the early time. With another sigh, she sat up in her bed in order to observe her new team. While she couldn't see Yang, she could hear her snores, and knew she wouldn't be up until much later. Considering her usual sleeping habits, Blake had no idea how she managed to get up on time for classes. Weiss was the only one on her feet, making her bed with practiced precision. She couldn't see Ruby from her spot on the bottom bunk, but she could almost feel the air around her vibrate with pent up energy.

The feeling shifted as she watched a black and red bundle of joy bounce its way to the door of their room, put on a big smile, and take a deep breath. Blake rolled her eyes as she covered her ears, knowing what was coming next.

"TIME FOR BREAKFAST TEAM"

Blake heard Yang shift and groan from above her while she shared an annoyed look with Weiss. How that girl had so much energy this early in the morning, she had no idea. She remembered trying to tuck in late last night with her most recent book, re-reading sentences and paragraphs as she attempted to drown out the sounds of the younger girls scroll games. Eventually she gave up and tried to sleep, but it was well after midnight.

The Faunus stood from her bed, feeling it shake slightly as Yang landed beside her. One glance at her teammates face revealed two dark circles under her eyes, hair splayed in every direction with some of the messiest bedhead Blake had ever seen, and a face that screamed "Five more minutes." She watched the blonde shamble to Ruby, grab her in a headlock and started rubbing her fist hard through her sister's hair.

Ruby let out a small squeal as she was lifted off the ground, legs flailing wildly, silver eyes filled with a mixture of panic and joy. "Yaaaaang, what are you doing!"

"Trying to find the snooze button." Blake heard her now-awake teammate grumble, before dropping her sister, grabbing a towel, and throwing it over her shoulder. "First dibs on shower!"

Ruby shook out her hair once she was steady on her feet again, shot a playful grin towards her attacker, and bounced over to her other team members. "So what's the plan for after breakfast? Sparring? Hunting? Sparring AND Hunting?!"

With every word, Blake could see their leaders eyes light up further. By the end of her sentence her fists were balled up near her chest, vibrating with excitement.

Weiss tapped a finger to her lips and hummed. "I need to go into town today and pick up a few things, I guess-"

"TEAM SHOPPING BONDING TIME YAAAAY"

Blake winced at the sudden sound, as she felt the cold tendrils of anxiety once again fill her body. She didn't particularly want to go shopping, nor did she want to be out at all. In fact, curling up with a book in front of a fire sounded like a perfect way to spend her weekend. She started to speak up, but one more glance into her leader's eyes sapped her of all of her strength to say no. And along with her strength, the third sigh of the day left her body, this one dejected.

 _I can't avoid them forever. I'll need to get to know them eventually. Might as well be today…_ _Though I can probably fit in some reading before we go._

And with that thought, she grabbed her book and turned to her bookmark, fully expecting to read through breakfast.

* * *

 _This is a lot harder than I thought it'd be…_

It wasn't that she hadn't read in public places before. In fact, she liked to think she had a knack to tune out all noise and conversation so she could focus on her material. She had managed to get immersed in a number of places, including in the middle of White Fang rallies. She even managed to zone out both Ruby and Yang during their first night at Beacon. The problem this time, however, was the conversation was being directed at her.

She saw her teammate shoot her a glance over the top of her novel. "What'cha reading?"

"Books." She didn't want to sound cold, but she didn't exactly want to be talking either. Questions have been coming her way since they left their dorm, and she could feel the dull throb of a headache building. Questions about everything, including her past, which she wasn't inclined to share quite yet.

"Must be a reaaal interesting read if you're so into it you won't talk to us…"

"Mmm." Blake made the non-committal sound as she reached for another bite of toast. In actuality, she could focus so little she didn't even know if she was enjoying her book. It was almost an excuse, a place to look and something to do that didn't involve her team.

It wasn't like she didn't like her team members. Ruby was hyperactive, sure, but she could turn it off to get a job done. Weiss was a bit standoffish at first, but it was hard to argue with the results she gave, both on and off the battlefield. And Yang was…. Yang. Blake wasn't really sure what to think of her yet, but the love she showed for her sister was admirable.

No, her team was fine. But they were too naive, too innocent. With the way they acted, the faunus guessed they had to have lived sheltered lives, oblivious to the way the real world worked. They wanted to be heroes, they wanted to hunt monsters, and they wanted to save people. It was admirable…

Blake had wanted that too, once. But the harsh reality was that you couldn't save everyone. In order to save the majority, you had to take lives. You had to do things you didn't want to do. How else were you supposed to stop the bad guys? The world isn't black and white like her teammates believe.

"Ohhhhhh, I wonder what it's about. Murder mystery? Fantasy?"

"Mhmm." Once again disregarding the question, this time from her team leader. She tried to imagine the younger girl, scythe in hand, standing over an enemy that wasn't a grimm, face set in a hard expression... but with no success. In fact, had she even seen Ruby frown? That girl was always so happy.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed Weiss giving her a sympathetic look. "She's obviously immersed, we should let her be for the time being."

Blake's thoughts turned to the girl trying to save her. While she appreciated the attempt, she knew it would do nothing to stop the sisters. Would Weiss be able to do the unthinkable? Possibly, if the situation called for it. But judging by her pale skin, leading her to believe she lived a sheltered life as royalty, Blake wasn't sure if she was even aware of what being a huntress really meant.

Then there was the last member of their group… Yang was a bit of a wildcard. Maybe, under the pressure and the want to protect those dear to her, she could do what was needed. She was loud, she was brash, and she loved to tease and prod. In a nutshell, the complete opposite of herself. How they were going to get along, she had no idea.

"Guys, don't be silly. For her to be that engrossed, it's probably something more 'mature'. Right, Blakey?" the aforementioned blond teased, with a sly grin.

"Mmm, yep" Another non-committal sound, as she turned the page. The table was oddly silent, which struck her as strange considering the company. She looked up to two mortified expressions and one victorious, her face turning red as she realized what she had just confirmed.

"Wait, I-"

"Wow Blake, Didn't know you were into that stuff. And in public too…"

Blake frantically looked at everyone but Yang, her tormenter, for support. Weiss's blush contrasted her skin hard, and Ruby's face all but matched her hood. Feeling the lack of support from her teammates, she turned back to Yang, trying to stammer out any kind of response.

The blonde smirked, stood up from their table and lightly punched Blake in the arm. "Let's get going, I need to hit a few stores. Make sure to bring your porn, I might want to borrow that later."

Yes, Yang was a wildcard. Normally Blake wouldn't take that from anyone else, but something about her teammate was different. She was friendly, she was reckless, and you didn't want to be on her bad side.

She reminded Blake of Adam. And that was a relationship she didn't want to repeat. She shook her head, trying to bury all the bad thoughts in the back of her mind. She stood up to follow her teammate, trying her hardest to ignore the blushes that still lingered on the faces of her team.

* * *

"Oooh, this one is cute!"

Weiss eyed Yang warily. "Since when were you so fashionable?"

Yang shot back a smirk. "Girls gotta know how to look good. I'm sure even someone as antisocial as our team librarian has a few outfits hidden away somewhere."

Blake ignored what felt like the thousandth jab in her direction with a roll of her eyes. They had been all over vale, some highlights including a dust shop, a bookstore _(which was very nice)_ , and a sweet shop, as requested by their leader. Weiss had dragged them into a clothing store, almost literally, as she was running on fumes.

Spending so much time in libraries, as well as being surrounded by… _misguided_ faunus for the greater part of her childhood, left her social skills lacking. Already she felt tired from the constant energy radiating from her team, and keeping up was a struggle. The greater part of her stamina was spent avoiding conversation and the constant jabs, mostly from Yang. The more she tried to distance herself, the harder the blonde pushed, and the more her mind was filled with thoughts of Adam.

"...Blake, you okay? I know you don't like to talk, but even for you this is extreme." She looked down into two pools of silver, filled with concern, and she felt her leader grab her hand, which she immediately pulled away from.

"I'm fine." she snapped. Guilt immediately flooded her body after seeing the hurt in the younger girl's eyes, Ruby holding her hand as if it was burned. Blake scanned the rest of her team, their reactions ranging from surprised to livid.

Red eyes burned into her back as she found the source of the anger in the room. A Gloved hand found her shoulder, pulling her around to look Yang directly in the face.

"Apologize."

She wanted to look away. She wanted to sink into the ground, never to come out. She wanted to go back to the dorms, sink into her bed and shut herself off from the rest of the world. The eyes boring into her radiated an anger she hadn't seen from her teammate before. An anger fueled from passion, love and the need to protect. Under a gaze that strong, the only thing she could do was submit.

"...m' sorry…."

Yang didn't let up. "We're your teammates, like it or not. You better get used to being around us, Blake. You need to let us in."

Anger flared in her own chest. Her head span, and she could feel her face heating up. Her hands started to shake, so she balled them up into fists. She stomped her foot, trying to find some outlet for the rage she felt. It wasn't enough, so she opened her mouth instead.

"No, I don't need to. You don't know what I've been through. You don't know what happens to those who get close to me. You don't know about my past. How dare you assume what I'm feeling, and what I need to do. You aren't me, and you aren't my therapist, so don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do!"

Both the store and her team was silent. She felt tears roll down her cheek, and it felt like a weight had settled on top of her chest. Yang's face was hard, set into a frown with her arms crossed. Her teammate thought for a moment, before opening her mouth again.

"Tell us about your past. Let us help you."

"I… I can't." Coming down from her high, she was filled with both anxiety and regret. Her emotions were rushing through her head so fast it was making her sick. The thought of her friends finding her heritage, finding her origins, and leaving her alone again terrified her. They couldn't know... she needed their help to stop the White Fang. Then she could be alone, her mission complete. But maybe there was a way to get through this without losing her friends? Maybe having company would be nice. But if she was found out, even if her team accepted her, would she be thrown out of Beacon? She hadn't been to a combat school before, she had even lied on her transcripts.

Emotion after emotion, thought after thought flew through her mind as her breathing quickened. One moment she was angry at the girl, and at the world for putting her in this position. The next she wanted to hug her teammate as hard as she could and cry for hours. The rollercoaster of feelings she had been on for the past few minutes left her feeling drained, but she wanted to either punch something or run away as fast as she could. She crouched down onto the ground, not having the energy to stand. Sounds and feeling seemed heightened, as she became acutely aware of the weight of her clothing, her weapon on her back and the bow on her head.

Yang looked at the emotional breakdown unfolding in front of her with a caring look, before placing a hand on her teammates shoulder.

"Hey… It's alright. Noone is hurt. We aren't mad. But you need to let us help you. If you aren't willing to talk to us, I know one other way to get the information out of you."

Blake looked into the blonde's face, one that mimicked her mother when she was younger. She searched for any trace of ill intent for what felt like minutes, before she let out a sigh, stood up and brushed herself off. Having someone there for her… it made her feel better. Yang took her hand and started towards the door, pulling the reluctant faunus with her.

* * *

 **Hey all, Amber here. This is the first story I've ever written for anything outside of an english class essay, and I'm not exactly sure what to think of it. I won't be doing A/N much, but I feel like it has a place in the first chapter.**

 **I'm a 20 year old college student from Arizona. My girlfriend roped me into watching RWBY a few months ago, and I really really enjoyed it. I suffer from General Anxiety Disorder and Depression, and never really found an outlet for it. Our relationship has strained over the past month or so, and I needed some kind of outlet for what I've been feeling.**

 **I'm really bad at writing, and always had my Mom check over whatever I was turning in for school before I submitted anything English related in high school. In college I rushed through all my English courses so I didn't have to worry about it. I have no idea if this story is any good, or if it even reads correctly, so I'd appreciate any kind of criticism or anything about the writing style. This took me forever to write, and even longer to work up the courage to post.**

 **I want to write this story from Blake's POV, and this gives me a way to try to put my own experience into words. I found it therapeutic while I was going through some rough nights, and hopefully I can give some kind of insight on what it's like to live like I do.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you think, whether you like it or didn't, so I can try to improve and stick with this story to the end.**

 **Thanks!**


	2. Bonding Time Pt 2

"What are you doing!" Blake shouted as she was all but dragged into an empty park in front of the store. She felt… nervous. She didn't know what to expect when she accepted Yang's offer to help her. She had thought she'd breeze through the day, just going through the motions and existing. She hadn't expected her teammate to be so adamant about her health, and she especially hadn't expected the blonde to try to rip her arm out of her socket!

She felt drained emotionally, even standing on her feet was a struggle. She just wanted to lie down and sleep. Her face felt sticky with tears, and it felt like a rock had settled in her stomach. Was the sun always that bright? Her wrist hurt, why was Yang pulling so hard? The faunus knew that she offered to help… but what if her ever present bow managed to slip off last night? Did Yang know? Was she being dragged off to the police? Were the birds always this quiet? What if it was the other way around, what if they were undercover White Fang that had come to take her back to the life she left-

Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a flash of red, and a feeling of warmth wrapping around her. Stunned, she looked down at the body of her leader wrapped around her own.

"You've been staring into space for a few minutes now," Ruby explained, voice muffled by Blake's torso. "And… You're crying again."

Blake brought a hand to her face to wipe off the tears she didn't realize she was shedding. The feeling of a body wrapped around hers… it was nice. Definitely one she could get used to. She returned the embrace, and swore she could feel most of the anxiety and fear flow out of her body and into the air. It brought memories of the nights she woke up crying as a kid, when her mother would run into her room and hug her until she cried herself back to sleep.

It was a feeling she didn't realise she missed.

She sniffled, cleared her eyes one more time, and stepped away from her leader. Feelings of panic replaced by the feeling of embarrassment. She wasn't always this emotional, but today had been… trying. Her teammate had been standing with her arms crossed in a clearly impatient stance, but with a smile on her face that betrayed her body language.

"Now that the sappy stuff is over and done with, let's get some answers out of you."

Blake felt her stomach drop again, having no idea what to expect. Every fiber of her being told her to run, but she held her ground. No, this time she would stand up for herself. She wasn't going to tell her team, she was going to keep her secret safe, she-

"Hit me."

"W-What?!"

"I want you to fight me." Blake tried to look for any hint of humour in her teammates eyes, but found none.

She wanted to fight? That was… definitely unexpected. And the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea. She didn't want to make a scene in the middle of Vale. Not that she thought it would take long, she was a trained assassin and Yang was… Yang. Maybe the best way to get her team off her back would be to shut her teammate down in a fight.

"Are you insane?!" The shrill voice of Weiss echoed her earlier thoughts, the girl storming between them. "You want to fight in public?! Goodwitch wouldn't allow it! We could get in massive trouble, or expelled, or even arrested! You can't be serious! Let's just-"

"Weiss." The heiress glared at the source of the interruption, Ruby grabbing onto her sleeve. "Let them do this. Trust me."

Yang shot her sister a grateful look as she attempted to drag the complaining heiress away from the soon-to-be combatants. Watching the hyperactive girl struggle to restrain her own teammate was a sight to behold, and she found herself with a small smile on her face. After what felt like a full minute of trying to convince the panicked girl through both reasoning and physical means, Weiss stormed off the grass in a huff. Blake idly wondered if Ruby had two semblances, and if having the most convincing set of puppy dog eyes counted...

"You ready Blakey?" The sound of the blonde's voice brought her back to the present. She shook the thought out of her head, and looked to her teammate, who clapped her fists together before lowering herself into a boxing stance.

They had all fought together during initiation… but honestly Blake had no idea what to expect. It was hard to watch your teammates when you were trying to avoid being bird food. She knew Yang had some sort of wrist cannon, and definitely preferred to use her fists… but other then that she was fighting blind. No idea what semblance she could have, or even the way she fought.

It was a little bit terrifying, if she was being honest with herself. When she was sent out on assassination missions in the White Fang, she had always done research on her targets. If it was a huntsman, she dug around for any information on weapons, semblances and weaknesses. This was the first time in a long time she was fighting another person blind. But… she had many years of real world experience the she doubted her teammate could match with a few years in some fancy school somewhere.

She crouched down, one hand on the grass, one foot outstretched, ready to pounce as soon as it was her moment. She was an assassin. She was cold, she was calculated. Yang was a close range fighter, she could wait until her opponent tried to move in close, and strike in whatever opening was available. One clean hit, preferably around the neck, enough to dent the other girls Aura… that should be enough. If it wasn't… she would deal with that if she got there.

Blake watched her opponent through narrowed eyes, waiting, watching for any kind of minute move to try and find her opening. But… it never came. After minutes of waiting, and an internal sigh of frustration, she realized Yang wasn't going to make the first move. But why? If her teammates first attack managed to get through, she would hold the momentum for the entirety of their match. Her defence wasn't going to be as strong as her offence either, as Blake's nimble and agile style was hard to defend against with just your fists. Everytime she played out scenarios in her head, it always made sense for Yang to be the aggressor.

She didn't want to, but she would have to make the first move.

She threw as much power as she could into her legs, sprinting up to Yang's face, fully expecting a counter. At the last second she feinted left, jumping around to the blonde's side, flipping and angling a kick at the back of her teammates neck. She didn't expect the feeling of hands wrapping around her shin, before being thrown into the ground hard.  
"Yeah, go Yang!" The faunus shot a glare to her leader, who quickly straightened up after an elbow jab from Weiss. "Oh, uh, you can do it too, Blake!"

She rolled her eyes and dusted herself off before throwing a glare in her teammates direction. The girl was wearing a confident smirk, one hand on her hip and other at her side. "You're gonna have to try harder than that!"

Blake felt a burning frustration building in her stomach, and she could feel her face start to heat up. Not only was she fast enough to react to her faint, but she was strong enough to grab her mid kick… it was impressive. Even more impressive was the hole she left in the grass on impact. But it wouldn't happen twice.

Once again she ran at full speed towards her opponent, and once again she feinted left as late as she could. This time she watched the blonde turn to her, a wide smile on her face, then spun and sent a kick flying towards Blake's torso. Now, however, it was her turn to smile, as she triggered her semblance. She jumped into the air, flipping over her opponent once again, watching as her clone was sent flying into the distance. She brought her foot down for the final blow… and was caught off guard by a fist flying towards her face.

How did she… Blake once again triggered her semblance and landed unsteadily on her feet, struggling to find a foothold. She immediately adopted a defensive stance and waited for Yang's offence, but it never came. Her opponent was still standing in the same spot with the same stance, waiting for Blake's next move. The faunus took some time to recollect herself and her thoughts. Something wasn't right… she hadn't seen much of Yang fighting the grimm, but she knew that her style wasn't exactly centered on punishing her opponent's mistake. She expected the blonde to use an all out offense, trading blows and winning through brute strength, but this was different.

"Why aren't you attacking me?!" She didn't mean to say it out loud, but she was frustrated. She felt toyed with, she felt like she wasn't being taken seriously by someone with nowhere near her experience. The smirk never left her teammates face, however, which only fueled her frustration more.

With a scream forcing itself out of her throat, she threw herself at Yang with all of her might. Plans, attacks, and counterattacks all flew through her mind at breakneck speed. If she could force a punch as a counterattack she could use her semblance and attack her on the same side, and she wouldn't have a chance to retaliate. If she used her momentum to throw Yang off balance by spinning around her enough, she could go for the legs and throw off her footing...

"What is going on here?!" Both her momentum and her plannings ground to a halt as she heard the familiar voice of Professor Goodwitch shout. Adrenaline fled her body, replaced instead by guilt, like a child found stealing from a cookie jar…

She swore she could feel Yang turn on the charm. "Hey officer, what seems to be the problem?"

Goodwitch's glare hardened. "My 'problem' is that I have two students fighting each other in public. And as soon as we get back to the school, it's gonna be your problem. Both of you are to spend two hours after classes are done in my office for the next week."

Blake could feel her fingers chill and her stomach turn. She had just come to Beacon, and without real credentials. What if Ozpin found out? Would she be expelled? She didn't have anywhere else to go. She'd have to live off the streets, or she'd have to go back home, or worst case she'd have to go back to the White Fang!

"That isn't fair!" Yang's voice drew her out of her thoughts. "I convinced Blake to fight. She was against it, and I forced her to. Double down on my punishment, make me write whatever essay, but don't punish her for something I made her do."

Blake was stunned. Her teammate was… lying to a professor to get her out of trouble? They didn't know much about each other, she couldn't think of any ulterior motives… what was she doing? Why was Yang protecting her?

And with that thought, everything clicked. The way she was fighting wasn't to toy with her, it was to set up a wall. A barrier that could protect both herself and everyone around her. She wasn't attacking because she didn't want to hurt her opponent, only protect those on her side. And as soon as Blake felt endangered, she jumped in to protect her from the punishment that she deserved. She didn't want to fight for the sake of hurting others, not like her previous teammate. She fought to protect those dear to her. It was a leap in logic, sure… but it felt right.

Goodwitch pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Fine, whatever. Miss Xiao Long, two weeks detention, Miss Belladonna, please try not to cave into peer pressure in the future. Now run back to Beacon, I have a mess to clean up."

Blake started the long trek back to the school with her teammate by her side, leaving Ruby and Weiss behind them. They walked in silence for a few minutes, the faunus replaying the fight in her head. So many things she could learn about Yang just by analyzing her fighting style… it was something she had never even thought about before. Fighting was a means to an end, a way to finish a job, not to build friendships.

Were they friends now? She had considered them friends before, but that didn't seem right compared to how she felt now. She was shaking, she felt warm, and she felt excited. The tips of both her fingers and her toes felt hot, and for the first time in a long time… she felt satisfied. She was tired, more mentally than physically, and wanted nothing more than to sleep. There was one thing still on her mind though...

"Yang, I… I think I learned a lot about you during our fight. And I feel like we've gotten closer, as much as I hate to admit it." She watched her teammates smile grow bigger. "But you wanted answers out of me. What could you have possibly learned from that?"

"Well…" She stopped walking and cleared her throat. "When you fought you covered every area of both offense and defense very well, which probably means that you're used to fighting alone. You didn't make any noise when you ran, and your attacks went to vital spots rather than opening in my defenses, which leads me to a few guesses about your past. I won't dig any deeper, also seemed uncomfortable aggressing while you were in my field of view, but I guess your semblance really helps with that."

Blake felt her head spin slightly with all the information she was presented with. She thought she was making a jump in logic when she analyzed Yang, but the blonde had been so much more specific… and correct. She found herself wondering how much depth there was to Yang, especially since her demeanor screamed the opposite. Her first impressions of the biker girl weren't good, coasting through life, cracking puns and oblivious to the horrors of the world… maybe she was wrong. She let herself feel a little bit excited for the missions to come…

"Oh, and most importantly, you have a great set of legs." Blakes face went red instantly, her own surprised eyes meeting Yang's, who threw her a sultry wink and a huge smile.

Scratch that. She wanted a new teammate.

After walking again in silence until her face had cooled down, she decided to break it. "So… how can I repay you for taking the punishment for me?"

"I can think of a few ways…" The faunus had already prepared herself for this answer, and it was met with only a roll of her eyes. "Na, but seriously… I don't want you to repay me. It was my idea. I just want you to open up to us. I don't care if you want to read a book over hanging out with us. But out in the field, when we're all fighting the grimm and the bad guys… you can't be a stranger. It's life or death out there." She paused. "Rubes wants to set up some sparring matches between us tomorrow. She's really appreciate it if you came."

"I'll… I'll be there." No, it wasn't that she didn't like her team. She didn't understand them. Maybe they had more depth to them, just like Yang. Maybe she could make more of an effort.

* * *

 **Hey guys, Amber here again. I don't really want to get in the habit of having an A/N at the end of every chapter, but there's still some stuff I feel needs to be said.**

 **First things first, I can't decide if this chapter is late or not. I'm really _really_ bad at writing, on top of being really _really_ hard on myself. I'm still not 100% satisfied with how this chapter came out, but I was going crazy working on it. This chapter has gone through four rewrites, way too many re readings and hours on just sentences. Because the chapters take me so long to write, as much as I want to do once a week updates, I'm afraid I'll burn myself out. So no schedule as of yet, but I'll play it by ear.**

 **Next up is combat. I don't really want this to be a combat fighty focused story. I don't particularly enjoy writing fights, though I don't really hate it either. I felt like it was necessary for the plot in this chapter, and a bit in the next one, but I'm going to be staying away from that mostly. Sorry if it feels really awkward in this chapter .**

 **Finally I just want to thank everyone for the support that this story got. Day one it got 60 visitors, and as I type this now its sitting over 100. It probably doesn't seem like much, but it blows my mind that so many people clicked and read my story. The reviews that were left made my week and left me in a super good mood, which is something I definitely needed at the time. So once again, thank you for taking the time to read what I put out, it means the world to me c:**


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